The sweat was dripping from Kalen’s forehead as he tried concentrating again. But as last time, his efforts were ineffective. The man before him didn’t know anything, didn’t have the answers he sought. With a grunt, Kalen threw the man against the opposite wall. Before exiting the alley, he wiped the dirt from his coat and strolled onto the street as if nothing had happened. That was his last lead and like all the rest, it led nowhere. Kalen was no closer to uncovering his past than he had been before he came here. The thought that his efforts had been futile send waves of fury through his body. He had forsaken Lana for nothing. He had hoped that he’d at least be a little closer to finding his parents while he in Gynae, but it seemed like now he was further away than ever.
And Lana was gone.
He would never be able to forget the gripping pain that seethed through him just a couple of hours after he tried to warn Andreas about Lana’s impending death. It could only have meant one thing: Lana was dead. He felt her energy drain from the world, felt as all that power dispensed into the universe. It was his curse to bear. He would not be allowed even a smidge of hope that she was still alive.
All his life he had tried to convince himself that his unique ability to sense the power sources of other magic users was a gift, but he soon found out how much of a burden it really was. The closer he was to somebody, the stronger he would be able to sense their magic. He was able to sense them as long as they were alive, but the minute they died, he would sense their power dissolving into their surrounding plane. He felt the same thing when the Grigolis passed. There was no mistaking that Lana had died and that he had been helpless in saving her.
He waved at the innkeeper as he entered the shabby inn he was staying at. She smiled at him, her eyes avoiding contact with his as she ducked her head away. It still surprised him sometimes the effect he had on women. When he got to his room, he let his emotions take over. He slammed the door shut and started pacing around the room. His thoughts drifted back to Lana. She didn’t deserve to die the way she had. It wasn’t fair.
Kalen hadn’t yet allowed himself anytime to grieve her loss, nor would he. He knew if he started mourning her now, he wouldn’t be able to stop. It was his fault she died, he told himself. If only he had stayed in Eerea, then none of this would have happened. He would have protected her, kept her out of harm’s way. Something Andreas clearly couldn’t do.
He gave up the chance to save her, and for what? Empty leads? Parents who were already dead? He punched his fist against the wall with as much power as he could muster.
“Andreas, I will make you pay for not keeping her safe,” he said through clenched teeth.
***
Water was trailing down the window in floods as the rain poured outside. Mallory was watching as nature wept, about what she wasn’t quite sure. She let out a sigh as her mother entered the room. “Mallory, what on earth are you doing?” her mother asked as she abruptly pulled the curtains shut.
“Oh, I was only staring out the window dreaming of better days ahead and reminiscing about the time when our magic wasn’t something we needed to hide to stay alive. Thinking about a time when our king and queen were kind people and actually cared about the good of the kingdom. You know, the usual, Mama,” Mallory said, gesturing dramatically.
Her mother regarded her with sad eyes. “Wishing something does not make it so, darling.”
“I know, but you won’t let me do anything about it.”
“You know very well why I will not let you out of my sight,” her mother said, the mood in the room instantly dropping. Mallory got up and put her arms around her mother.
“I know Mama, I’m sorry. But you cannot keep me locked up for the rest of my life. Eventually you are going to have to let me go out and experience the world for myself.” She let go and gave her mother a small smile.
Her mother cocked her head to the side. “You experienced too much of it at too young an age, that’s the whole problem. If you were to get hurt again… I- I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.”
Mallory took her mother’s hands into her own. “Mama, what happened wasn’t your fault. You couldn’t have known. You have to stop blaming yourself.”
Her mother sighed and sat down next to the window, taking her daughter down with her. “I try, my dear, I try. But I am your mother; it is my duty to protect you and I failed.”
“We can have this conversation a million times, but the facts remain. One of these days you are going to have to let me go, and one of these days someone has to do something about Eerea’s monarchs. We cannot keep living under their rule. And I’d be damned if I didn’t do my part to help,” Mallory said as she wiped the tears from her mother’s face.
“I know you feel like you have to do something, but you don’t, Mallory. You cannot save the world by yourself.”
“I was never planning on doing it myself, Mama.”
Mama raised her eyebrows. “And whose help were you planning on employing? That boy that saved you and then left?” she accused.
Mallory felt the stab in her heart, just as her mother knew she would. Memories were the sharpest daggers. “He wouldn’t be able to help me,” Mallory said, her voice thick with the memory of his crystal eyes, so kind… so gone now. “There is only one person who can.”
“And who would that be?”
She smirked, her memories suddenly forgotten. Excitement filled her and she could no longer sit. “You remember the stories about the attack on the palace, don’t you?”
“Of course I do, but I do not see how it relates.”
“Mama, it should be obvious.”
“Darling, everyone related to the king and queen were killed—“
“Except their baby. Their child escaped! You’ve seen the posters, the promises of rewards beyond imagination if someone were to take the head of the child to the king of Eerea. It means he or she is still alive. It means we still have hope that they can take back the kingdom and once again make Gynae a peaceful kingdom.” Mallory’s eyes were shining as the plan started to form in her mind.
Her mother had to be the one to ground her again. “Mallory, how do you even suggest to begin searching for this child? You have no idea what he or she looks like. Have you even thought this through?”
Mallory scowled. “I know the situation seems impossible and the chances of me finding him or her are slim to none, but at least I would have tried. Trying and failing is a whole lot better than not trying at all. I may not know what the child looks like, but I do know roughly what age he or she must be. Then the spell Papa taught me would help reveal their true natures to me.”
Mama stood up and cupped Mallory’s cheek. “After everything that has happened to you, you still want to save the world. How did you manage to keep that optimism, my dear?”
Mallory’s hand covered her mother’s. “I learned from you.”
Her mother smiled and leaned in to kiss her on her forehead. “Get some sleep, Mallory. The world isn’t going to be saved tonight.”
“You aren’t going to talk me out of this, Mama. I’m doing it with or without your blessing.”
“Goodnight, Mallory.”
“Goodnight, Mama,” Mallory said softly as her mother left the room. Mama didn’t believe she could do it. Her doubt was evident and for that reason Mallory was more determined than ever to prove her wrong. She would go out and find the rightful heir to the Gynae throne no matter who or what stood in her way.
YOU ARE READING
Haunting Shadows (Book 2)
Fantasy"What if my sins are all I've become? Will you still love me if the Andreas you once knew is too far gone to ever get back?" Lana had survived burning on the stake, but at what cost? Every time she closes her eyes, she revisits the horror of burning...
